Baseball: Central’s Dodd Realizes Dream With All-State Honor

When he was a freshman at Sallisaw Central, Wyatt Dodd’s goal was to make the All-State baseball team when he finished his career with the Tigers.

Today, Dodd gets to realize that goal as he will be among the players competing in today’s Oklahoma Coaches Association All-State baseball games in Tulsa. Dodd will be part of the East roster in the small-school game at 4:30 p.m. at Johnson Stadium on the Oral Roberts University campus, with the large-school game to follow at 7 p.m.

“It was just pure joy,” Dodd said upon learning of his All-State selection. “My freshman year, I set out with a goal to make All-State, and wanted to bring that honor not only to myself, but to my school and my baseball program. When my coach said that I had made All-State, I felt like all the hard work and hours I had put in was all worth it.”

Dodd was a starter for all four seasons at Central. He mainly pitched but also played the outfield and occasionally at first base.

Among the highlights during his career with the Tigers included throwing a no-hitter as a sophomore against Oktaha, as well as striking out 15 his senior year in a 6-2 win against state-ranked Glencoe. But Dodd said his most memorable game came at the 2A regional tournament this past spring when Central beat Wister 3-2 on a walk-off single by fellow senior Caleb Callahan, a game Dodd pitched.

“You could tell from the start it was going to be a tight game where one little single or error could be the difference in the game,” Dodd said. “And we just had the baseball luck on our side that day to win in a walk-off in the bottom of the seventh on a single from Caleb.”

The win against Wister helped put the Tigers in position to reach the 2A State Tournament, as Central needed one more win to advance to state. However, the Tigers were denied the trip to state after losing two games to Ketchum, the regional host.

Dodd — who will be playing next season at Carl Albert State College — said he is looking forward to today’s All-State game, as well as getting the opportunity to play with and against some of the top baseball players in the state. Rattan coach Ryan Cordell is serving as the coach of the Small East squad.

“I know a couple of guys around the area who I played against for the last four years, but there’s a lot (of players) that I’ve only heard about and not go to see play, so it’s an honor to go out and play with some of the best ball players from all over the state,” Dodd said. “And when you have two great teams like this going head-to-head, you know it’s going to be fun to be a part of and watch, and also to listen and learn from the great coaching staff we have around us.”

One of the players scheduled to participate in today’s All-State large school baseball game is Vian infielder Landon Decker. Decker, who has signed to play at Connors State College in Warner, helped the Wolverines make it to their first state championship game appearance when Vian made it to the 3A title game before the Wolverines lost to Verdigris. He was also the quarterback for a Vian football team which reached the 2A semifinals last fall.

The OCA All-State games in various sports continue this week in the Tulsa area.